Cultured stone fireplaces in Aliante great rooms
Plenty of Aliante great rooms have a gas insert wrapped in cultured stone, and the customer wants the TV above the mantel. We start with a heat read rather than a drill. The insert burns at full output for 20 minutes while we take surface temperatures at the mantel and at the intended screen height; a sealed gas insert behind stone in these homes usually settles between 85 and 100°F, which most panels tolerate, and anything above that means raising the mount or fitting a pull-down bracket that drops the screen to eye level for viewing. The anchor work is separate. Cultured stone is a one to two-inch veneer over lath and scratch coat, so a lag has to reach past it into the wood stud behind. We drill the mortar joint with a quarter-inch masonry bit, keep a vacuum at the hole for the dust, and drive five-inch lag bolts, four per bracket on a 70-inch panel. Stone triggers the published masonry surcharge. Cable runs beside the stone in the drywall, never chased through the veneer. Allow 90 to 120 minutes.